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Odiapediaଓଡ଼ିଆପିଡ଼ିଆ
coastal Odishaଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ପଢ଼ନ୍ତୁ

Puri district

ପୁରୀ ଜିଲ୍ଲା

Puri district on Odisha's coast is home to the Jagannath Temple, the Konark Sun Temple (UNESCO), Raghurajpur, Pipili and part of Chilika Lake.

Headquarters
Puri
Population (2011)
1,698,730
Area
3,479 sq km
Villages
1,715
Literacy (2011)
84.7%
Towns (2011)
6

Puri (ପୁରୀ) is a coastal district in eastern Odisha, named after the pilgrim town of Puri. Puri is the seat of the Shree Jagannath Temple and one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage centres of Hinduism. The district headquarters is Puri town.

Beyond Puri town the district holds the Konark Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with a long sandy coastline and the eastern part of Chilika Lake around Satapada. It also has crafts villages such as Raghurajpur and Pipili, whose painters and appliqué workers have long served the Jagannath cult.

The district in its present form dates from the reorganisation of 1993. The old Puri district was then divided into Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh, and the present Puri district kept the old Puri Sadar sub-division. Today it has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks.

At the 2011 Census the district had 1,698,730 people on 3,479 sq km, a density of about 488 per sq km, with a literacy rate of 84.67%.

People of Puri district

Census 2011 counted 16,98,730 people in 3,67,269 households in Puri district. 15.6% lived in towns, and the literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 84.7%. The census recognised 6 towns in the district.

Population
16,98,730
8,65,380 male · 8,33,350 female
Households
3,67,269
about 4.6 people each
Literacy (age 7+)
84.7%
men 90.8% · women 78.3%
Females per 1,000 males
963
Girls per 1,000 boys (0–6)
932
People per km²
488
  • Rural14,33,800 (84.4%)
  • Urban2,64,930 (15.6%)
Scheduled Castes
3,25,133 (19.1%)
Scheduled Tribes
6,129 (0.4%)

What the 6,21,676 workers did

  • Cultivators1,47,402 (23.7%)
  • Agricultural labourers79,505 (12.8%)
  • Household industry15,648 (2.5%)
  • Other work2,07,981 (33.5%)
  • Marginal workers1,71,140 (27.5%)

Marginal workers worked less than six months of the year.

Source: Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (district, sub-district and town level). Figures are from 2011, the most recent census with published district, town and village figures.

Facilities in the villages of Puri

How many of the 1,599 inhabited villages of this district had each facility within the village itself, from the Census 2011 Village Directory. Together the 1,706 villages cover 2,640 km², 62% of it sown with crops and 4% forest.

Education

  • Primary school1,308 of 1,599
  • Middle school750 of 1,599
  • Secondary school332 of 1,599
  • Senior secondary school51 of 1,599
  • Degree college33 of 1,599

Health

  • Primary health centre4 of 1,599
  • Health sub-centre190 of 1,599
  • Anganwadi centre1,422 of 1,599

Water & power

  • Treated tap water0 of 1,599
  • Hand pump1,563 of 1,599
  • Electricity for homes1,574 of 1,599

Roads & transport

  • All-weather road996 of 1,599
  • Public bus128 of 1,599
  • Mobile phone coverage1,562 of 1,599

Services

  • Post office or sub post office329 of 1,599
  • Commercial bank7 of 1,599
  • Ration (PDS) shop758 of 1,599
  • Weekly haat124 of 1,599
Primary schools
1,758
Middle schools
830
Secondary schools
410
Degree colleges
35
Primary health centres
10
Health sub-centres
190

Main crops named by villages: Paddy (1,305), Coconut (181), Vegetables (151), Betel (121), Vegetable (106), Oil Sheeds (46), Pulses (23), Oil Seeds (15). Handicrafts: Weaving Products (1), Coir Materials (1), Cloth (1), Bag (1), Bags (1).

Source: Census of India 2011, District Census Handbook: Village and Town Directory (Odisha). The facilities were recorded for the 2011 census (reference year 2009 for most items); many places have changed since. Facilities in towns are not included.

Towns of Puri

4 statutory towns (municipal corporation, municipality, notified area council or industrial township) and 2 census towns — places the census counted as urban but which are governed by gram panchayats.

TownTypePopulationLiteracyWards
PuriMunicipality2,00,56488.0%32
NimapadaNotified Area Council19,28991.4%11
PipiliNotified Area Council17,62386.2%16
KonarkNotified Area Council16,77976.0%13
GodiputamatiaparaCensus town5,96789.6%–
BirapratappurCensus town4,70884.5%–

Population of the town itself; for towns with outgrowths, the town page also gives the figure including them. Ward counts are the census wards of 2011.

Census sub-districts: town and country

Sub-districtPopulationRuralUrbanLiteracy
Delanga1,09,2911,03,3245,96786.2%
Pipili1,59,7501,42,12717,62385.7%
Nimapada2,08,1391,88,85019,28985.4%
Kakatpur1,00,5251,00,525083.5%
Astaranga67,74867,748082.8%
Konark54,99938,22016,77983.4%
Gop1,21,6651,21,665084.0%
Ramachandi22,53122,531083.7%
Satyabadi1,96,1361,96,136085.0%
Chandanpur87,95383,2454,70881.8%
Sadar1,07,7351,07,735081.8%
Brahmagiri1,32,3191,32,319084.2%
Gadisagada71,87071,870084.6%
Krushna Prasad57,50557,505081.5%
Puri (M)2,00,56402,00,56488.0%

Odisha's census sub-districts are police-station areas, not revenue tahasils.

History

The Puri region was part of ancient Kalinga. Its history is closely bound to the Jagannath Temple, which was begun in the 12th century under Anantavarman Chodaganga of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. About a century later, around 1250 CE, the Ganga king Narasimhadeva I built the Konark Sun Temple as a colossal stone chariot of the Sun god.

Older shrines also survive. The Varahi temple at Chaurasi, now a Monument of National Importance, is dated to the early 10th century under the Somavamsis. The poet Jayadeva, author of the Gita Govinda, is traditionally linked to Kenduli Sasan in the Prachi valley, although his birthplace is debated.

From 1568 the kings of Khurda controlled the Jagannath Temple. The East India Company took the region in 1803. Wikipedia records that in October 1828 the province was divided into three districts, Balasore, Cuttack and Jagannath, and the last of these was later renamed Puri. Rebels of the 1817 Paika Rebellion briefly captured Puri town.

In the early 20th century Gopabandhu Das founded the Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya (1909) at Satyabadi near Puri, which became a centre of Odia nationalism. Puri district was part of Odisha province from its creation in 1936. Bhubaneswar was added to the district in 1959, and the large district was divided in 1993.

Places to visit

Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri

The 12th-century temple of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra is one of Hinduism's great pilgrimage centres. Entry is restricted to Hindus, and temple rules on dress and phones are strictly enforced. See our Puri travel guide and the Jagannath Temple history.

Bada Danda and Gundicha Temple

The Bada Danda, or Grand Road, runs about 3 km from the main temple to the Gundicha Temple, where the chariots stop during Rath Yatra. Its shops sell pattachitra, brass lamps and sweets. The Atharanala bridge, a medieval stone bridge on the approach to Puri town, is a Monument of National Importance.

Konark Sun Temple

UNESCO inscribed the Sun Temple at Konark as a World Heritage Site in 1984. It is built as the Sun god's chariot, with carved wheels and horses, and it is not in active worship, so visitors of all faiths may enter. Konark is about 34 km from Puri. See the Konark travel guide.

Golden Beach and Chandrabhaga

Puri's Golden Beach was among the first eight Indian beaches to receive the Blue Flag eco-label, in October 2020. Chandrabhaga beach near Konark hosts a sand art festival during the Konark Dance Festival.

Raghurajpur

Raghurajpur, on the Bhargavi river near Chandanpur, was declared a heritage village by INTACH in 2000. Its artists make pattachitra cloth paintings, palm-leaf engravings and masks, and the village is home to gotipua troupes. See Raghurajpur.

Pipili

Pipili, on the Bhubaneswar–Puri road where the Konark road branches off, is the centre of the GI-registered Pipili appliqué craft. Its canopies and umbrellas are made for the Rath Yatra.

Satapada and Chilika

Satapada, about 48 km from Puri, is the starting point for boat trips to see Irrawaddy dolphins near Chilika's mouth. See the Chilika Lake travel guide.

Sakhigopal and Chaurasi

Sakhigopal, about 18 km from Puri, has a well-known Krishna shrine. The Varahi Deula at Chaurasi, on the Nimapara–Kakatpur road about 30 km from Konark, is a rare 10th-century temple with a vaulted, khakhara-style roof and Ramayana reliefs. The Puri district administration also lists Beleswar, a Shiva shrine on a sand dune about 17 km from Puri, and the quiet Balighai beach on the Puri–Konark Marine Drive, about 14 km from town.

How to reach

  • By air: The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar, approximately 60 km from Puri.
  • By rail: Puri railway station is a terminus of the East Coast Railway with direct trains from many cities, joined to the main line at Khurda Road.
  • By road: National Highway 316 links Bhubaneswar with Puri via Pipili. Puri is approximately 60 km from Bhubaneswar, and Konark is approximately 65 km from Bhubaneswar and 34 km from Puri along the Marine Drive.

Many travellers combine Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar as the Golden Triangle. See how to reach Odisha for more.

Temples (48)

  • Alama Chandi Temple · ଆଲମଚଣ୍ଡି
  • Alarnatha Temple · ଅଲାରନାଥ ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Amaresvara Temple
  • Baliharchandi Temple
  • Barahi Temple · ବାରାହୀ ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Bata Mangala · ବାଟମଙ୍ଗଳା
  • Beleswar temple · ବେଲେଶ୍ଵର ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Bhavakundalesvara Siva Temple
  • Budhanatha Temple
  • Chakra Narasimha Temple
  • Dakshinakali Temple · ଦକ୍ଷିଣକାଳି ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Gangeswari Temple · ଗଙ୍ଗେଶ୍ୱରୀ ଦେଉଳ
  • Gatisvara Temple
  • Gopaljiu Temple
  • Gopinatha Temple
  • Gopinatha Temple
  • Gramesvara Temple
  • Granesvar Temple
  • Gundicha Temple · ଗୁଣ୍ଡିଚା ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Harachandi Temple
  • Isvaradeva Temple
  • Jagannath Temple · ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Kakatpur Mangala Temple · ମଙ୍ଗଳା ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Khilesvara Temple

And 24 more. Photos and map links in the temple directory. Today's tithi, sunrise and Rahu Kala here.

Protected monuments (5)

Monuments of National Importance protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. All of Odisha.

Railway stations

7 stations and 3 halts inside the district, as mapped on OpenStreetMap; some on new lines may not yet have regular trains.

Culture and festivals

Puri is the home of the Rath Yatra, held in June or July, when Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are drawn on three huge chariots along the Bada Danda to the Gundicha Temple. The temple year also includes the Snana Yatra, the 42-day Chandan Yatra and, in certain years, the Nabakalebara renewal of the wooden deities.

The Konark Dance Festival is held every December beside the Sun Temple. The district is a cradle of temple dance: Odissi and the boys' dance gotipua both have strong roots here.

Puri district has three registered Geographical Indications: Orissa Pattachitra, Pipli Applique Work and Konark Stone Carving. See the list of GI tags of Odisha.

Food

The temple kitchen of Puri prepares Mahaprasad, which is cooked in earthen pots and sold at the Ananda Bazar. Among its dry sweets, khaja is the one most strongly associated with Puri. Nimapara, on the road to Konark, is known for chhena jhilli. Coastal kitchens also serve sea fish, often in mustard gravies such as machha besara.

Geography and climate

Puri district is a low, flat strip of the Mahanadi delta facing the Bay of Bengal. Wikipedia gives its coastline as about 150 km. Two belts run parallel to the coast. On the seaward side is a strip of sandy ridges and dunes several kilometres wide. Inland is a plain of rice fields crossed by river channels.

The rivers, mostly distributaries of the Mahanadi system, include the Kushabhadra, Daya, Bhargavi, Kadua, Prachi and Devi. In the south-west the district takes in part of Chilika Lake, a brackish lagoon that has been a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance since 1981. The outer channel near Satapada is the best place to see Irrawaddy dolphins.

FeatureDetail
CoastAbout 150 km on the Bay of Bengal
RiversKushabhadra, Daya, Bhargavi, Kadua, Prachi, Devi
LagoonPart of Chilika Lake (Satapada area)
Protected areaBalukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary, about 87 sq km, declared 1984
ClimateHumid tropical, with a June to September monsoon

The Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary stretches along the coast between Puri and Konark, with casuarina and cashew plantations first planted in 1916–17. Olive ridley turtles nest on its beaches, and blackbuck have been reintroduced there since 2024.

The climate is humid and tropical. The sea keeps winters mild, and the region is exposed to cyclones before and after the monsoon.

Economy

Pilgrimage and tourism are the mainstays of Puri town, which receives very large numbers of visitors during the Rath Yatra and the winter season. Across the district, paddy farming dominates the delta plain. Marine fishing supports coastal villages, and Chilika fishing supports the Satapada area. Handicrafts such as pattachitra, appliqué and stone carving give work to artisan families in Raghurajpur, Pipili and Konark.

Climate of Puri

In Puri district (at 19.81°N, 85.83°E), the hottest month is May (average highs of 34°C) and the coolest nights come in Jan (17°C). About 1580 mm of rain falls in a year, most of it in the monsoon; Jul is the wettest month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)273033343433313030302927
Average low (°C)172024272828272726242117
Rainfall (mm)13141817561953703592891724927
Rainy days11213142324211231

Averages for 1995–2024 at that point (10 m above sea level), from the Open-Meteo historical weather API (ERA5 reanalysis by ECMWF/Copernicus, CC BY 4.0) — modelled values on a ~25 km grid, not station readings from the India Meteorological Department. A rainy day has 2.5 mm or more.

Notable people

  • Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928): known as Utkalmani, a social reformer, writer and founder of the Satyabadi school, born at Suando near Puri.
  • Kelucharan Mohapatra (born 1926): the Odissi guru who helped revive the classical form, born at Raghurajpur.
  • Jayee Rajguru (1739–1806): royal priest and minister of the Khurda kingdom, born at Biraharekrushnapur near Puri, and executed by the British in 1806.
  • Jayadeva (12th century): poet of the Gita Govinda, whom Odisha tradition places at Kenduli Sasan in Puri district, though other places also claim him.

Blocks, sub-districts, panchayats & villages

Choose a block, sub-district or town to see its details and its gram panchayats and villages. Open any village for its own page.

Counts below: Local Government Directory, December 2022 snapshot (LGD villages, which can differ from the district administration's revenue-village count).

Blocks
11
Sub-districts
15
GPs
268
LGD villages
1,715

Community development block

Astaranga

Gram panchayats
15
Villages
103
LGD block code
3536
District
Puri
Open full block page

Villages (…)

All blocks in Puri

BlockGPsVillagesVillage pop.LiteracyST share
Astaranga1510385,16482.7%0.0%
Brahmagiri251661,39,44983.4%0.5%
Delanga211371,17,78786.0%0.4%
Gop312241,63,86784.1%0.1%
Kakat Pur161141,06,50384.3%0.1%
Kanas281391,43,33885.1%0.1%
Krushnaprasad2112789,37181.8%0.3%
Nimapada322411,89,89784.8%0.2%
Pipili252101,38,14385.7%0.5%
Sadar301571,46,09282.1%0.6%
Satyabadi24961,12,47584.5%0.5%

GPs and villages: Local Government Directory (Dec 2022). Village population, literacy and Scheduled Tribe share: sum of the block's villages in Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (village level).

All census sub-districts

Towns (urban local bodies)

Assembly constituencies in Puri

Source: Local Government Directory (lgdirectory.gov.in), Government of India — data dump of December 2022 via github.com/planemad/india-local-government-directory. Sub-districts follow the Local Government Directory, which for Odisha uses the Census sub-districts (police-station areas) — these are not the same as revenue tahasils. Boundaries and names change over time; check the district administration for current status.

Frequently asked questions

What is Puri district famous for?

Puri district is famous for the Shree Jagannath Temple and its Rath Yatra, the Konark Sun Temple (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), its beaches, the crafts villages of Raghurajpur and Pipili, and dolphin trips from Satapada on Chilika Lake.

When was the present Puri district formed?

A district centred on Puri, first called Jagannath district, was created in October 1828. In the early 1990s the old district was divided into Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh, leaving Puri district with the old Puri Sadar sub-division.

How far is Puri from Bhubaneswar?

Puri town is approximately 60 km south of Bhubaneswar by road, and Konark is approximately 65 km from Bhubaneswar.

Is Konark in Puri district?

Yes. Konark, with its 13th-century Sun Temple and Chandrabhaga beach, is in Puri district, about 34 km from Puri town along the coast.

How many blocks are in Puri district?

According to Wikipedia's district summary, Puri district has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks. The full block list appears on this page.

Sources & references

  1. 1Puri district — Wikipedia
  2. 2Puri District at a Glance — District Administration, Puri, Government of Odisha
  3. 3Districts of Orissa – Census 2011 population — Census2011.co.in (compiled from Census of India 2011)
  4. 4Sun Temple, Konârak — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  5. 5Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary — Wikipedia
  6. 6Varahi Deula, Chaurasi — Wikipedia
  7. 7Jayee Rajguru — Wikipedia

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